Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment

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and contact The nature Doc

The best thing you can do for you pre-schooler is make sure she knows how to wash her hands properly with plain soap and water, and she gets her scheduled childhood immunizations. While you are at it, make sure you wash you own hands with plain soap and water as well. Daycares and nursery schools are notorious germ factories…..get used to it. There is good evidence that a little dirt now and then may be a good thing for helping to stimulate kids immune systems as well, so don’t get obsessed with antibacterial soaps and cleaners etc. You are doing all you can otherwise by eating properly, exercising and getting lots of rest. I suspect you’ve just gone through a bad run of luck.

As I mention…often…on this board…”boosting immune system” is not a scientific or medical concept, and is essentially meaningless. I mentioned “stimulating” above,but that is not the same…the immune system is stimulated whenever it comes in contact with new organisms. Herbal remedies may be plausible for some things, but there is certainly no evidence that use of any herbs can “boost the immune system” or prevent illness or infection. (Alties with a different point of view are invited to submit links to evidence they believe proves me wrong. As a skeptic, of course I am always willing to be proven wrong)
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EDIT KARMA OF THE POODLE
-there is very little evidence of the efficacy of so called “probiotics” for any condition. They MAY be helpful to restore gut flora if someone has an antibiotic related diarrhea. And they MAY be helpful to restore vaginal flora after treatment for vaginal candidiasis. Several surveys of commercial probiotic remedies have shown mostly dead, not viable organisms anyway.

-there’s good evidence for saline lavage to remove mucus that traps airborne viruses and allergens. (BTW this is a very good example of how scientific medicine will adopt alternative practices if they are shown to work) However use of Neosporin…an antibacterial…is not indicated, and regular use may lead to increased resistance patterns in bacteria. The nose and throat always have some staph and strep in them, that is how we have evolved. Childhood illnesses are mostly viral, so neosporin would not prevent them anyway.

-there is no convincing evidence for the use of Vit C in the prevention or treatment of colds or flues. Believers have been trying to prove this for 40 years…and failed.

-thanks for playing.

First, “4 times in the last 6 months” isn’t really that abnormal. We all get up to 7 viruses a year, so that’s one every 7 or so weeks. Germs breed around children like wildfire because children are always touching things and then putting their hands in their mouths. Skeps’ hand washing suggestion is a very good and important one.

No herbal “remedies” are going to help boost the immune system. Just ensure your child eats a healthy balanced diet, gets adequate sleep and exercise.
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EDIT
@ Violet: Normal does not necessarily mean healthy or optimum, you are quite correct. However, a common viral infection is usually of no consequence and is not akin to cancer!

It is NEVER normal for anyone to be anaemic, your MD was quite incorrect. And I am not sure what point you are trying to make here? Are you suggesting that because your MD was misinformed/negligent, ALL Doctors and Nurses are wrong too? If so that is a logical fallacy. It does not follow.

I had a look at your suggestions, and none of what you have suggested in your answer is really supported by any convincing scientific evidence. Furthermore, none of what you suggested has any proven mechanism to enhance the immune system, which a complex combination of proteins and cells. There are antibodies with different subtypes etc, what exactly are you trying to boost and how? T and B cellS? immune globulins? What exactly?

I’ve had a quick check and I cannot find any good evidence that Elderberry Elixir will prevent viral infections. If you have other information, provide a link and I will be happy to review it.

By the way, I only get one or two colds a year (like you) and I don’t take anything!

Pretty useless I am afraid and of course neither of them are in fact herbal remedies. Nothing to suggest that Emergen-C does anything at all and there is increasing concern about the possible toxic effect of so called harmless vitamin overdosing. There is a little bit of evidence to suggest that regular probiotic drinks have a very marginal effect on health, though it depends a lot on the organisms contained, though certainly they seem harmless. Conventional science has been aware of, and accepted that commensal organisms can be useful for over 50 years.

In a broad general sense it is unlikely that either preparation will make any real difference. It is important to be aware of the ‘normal’ infection rates in children. Exactly as Rhianna states, on average they get a viral illness 7 times a year, which is once every 7 weeks!

Four times in 6 months is crazy! I get sick only once per year, and even when that does happen, its in a much milder form than most everyone else.

Once cold and flu season hits I start taking Elderberry elixir (see recipe below). Elderberry is an antiviral immune system modulator that contains compounds which neutralize hemagglutinin (the spikes on the outside of viral cells that are responsible for binding the virus to the cell that is being infected). I take 1 dropperful 3x daily as a preventative. Once I start to get sick, I take 1 dropperful every couple of hours until I start to feel better, usually a day or two later. I also eat 1 – 2 freshly chopped garlic cloves every day or two. Garlic powder/pills/capsules won’t have anywhere near the same effect as freshly crushed/chopped garlic.

There are a number of other herbs which one could take, but these are the two that I use most and recommend to my friends, family and clients and which keep us much healthier during cold and flu season than even those that get their yearly flu shots

How I make Elderberry Elixir

1) Half fill a sterile glass jar with dried elderberries. (I usually make it in a 1 liter jar batches)
2) Fill the jar to the top with a mixture of 1 part local unpasteurized wildflower honey to 2 parts brandy.
3) Mix well and cap the jar
4) Keep it in a cool dark place for at least 6 weeks. Give it a good shake every few days and top up liquid as needed (the dried berries will soak up moisture for several days)
5) Strain. I like to squeeze it through a jelly bag and re-use the strained out berries to make jam, tarts or pie.
6) Pour the elixir into sterile bottles and store in a cool, dark place.

Its so easy and inexpensive to make. Buying commercial elderberry preparations is just far to expensive for my taste. Depending on where you buy the berries, you should be able to make a year’s supply for yourself and your family for about $30. Its also supremely yummy. I sometimes add wild woodland ginger root and rosehips for warming/stimulating properties, vitamin C, etc.

Fire Cider is also awesome for cold and flu season. There are so many variations, but this is the basic recipe I usually use:

1) Fill a sterile glass jar with equal parts freshly grated onion, garlic, ginger, horseradish. I also add powdered cayenne at a rate of 1/4 cup per gallon jar.
2) Then fill the jar to the top with raw apple cider vinegar.
3) Cap the jar and put it in a cool, dark place for 6 weeks. Don’t use a metal lid, or the vinegar will rust it. If you have no alternative, you can place a piece of waxed or parchment paper between the vinegar and the lid.
4) Give it a shake every few days and top up if needed.
5) Strain
6) Bottle the vinegar and use as regular vinegar either on a daily basis, a few times a week, or whenever you feel that you’re starting to come down with something.
7) I also run the strained herbs through a food processor, then mix in some honey. I add it to soups, sandwiches, etc. You can freeze the excess in little bags and defrost as needed.

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‘Normal’ does not mean ‘healthy’ or ‘optimum’

Where I live, it’s ‘normal’ for 1 in 2 people to get cancer, and for 1 in 3 to die from it

I still remember the day I confronted my MD, pissed that he didn’t tell me that I had been anemic for 2 years, and that my iron reserves were almost nil. Despite the fact that I had been exhibiting classic iron defficiency symptoms which he dismissed as ‘anxiety’, he excused himself by stating that it is ‘normal’ for women to be anemic.

So, while conventional doctors and nurses (who adamantly state there are no effective natural treatment for colds and flus) may tell you its ‘normal’ to get sick 7 times a year, Natural Health Practitioners (who know there are many things one can do and take to effectively and naturally prevent and treat colds and flus) know that you can do better than ‘normal’